I will be running my first marathon November 2. I'm currently at 25-27 Monday thru Friday miles with a 10-12 mile long run every week. For HM training i go up to 16 miles, so it will be a while before I get to distance prs. I'm concentrating on adding in 9 more weekday miles before growing my long runs at the end of August.

I've been running successfully since June of 2012 and I've been working on establishing a good base since then so marathon training would be a possibility. I have a rather hectic life (full time job, single mom of a young child in daycare) so i have to be creative to get the miles in and last year my body just couldn't handle the creativity (i do doubles 3 days a week).

So i'm no expert, but if you can commit to following a training program, you should be able to do it from where you are at. I like that I've taken a little time to get here though. It's been nice trying out different patterns as far as how many days a week and how many runs a day to see what works for me and what is sustainable. But this was particularly important for me to do since I'm making my own training program.

Anyway good luck with whatever you decide and feel free to add me if you want more running friends!

Not just thinking. I'm DOING! Officially registered yesterday and bought my tickets. I'm working Hal Higdon's Marathon Novice 1 program and have 12 weeks left. My longest run so far has been 12 miles which I've done twice. I'm running only 20-25 miles per week which is not awesome. I know. Really, I'm fully prepared to have kind of a miserable 6+ hour run. I'm running the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska on September 20th. The Equinox is not your run of the mill marathon course either. There is an 1,800 foot elevation climb and drop and most of the 26.2 miles is on trails. After gathering a lot of advice (even here on MFP), some which told me it wasn't a good idea, and advice from others who have run the Equinox before, I decided to do it. I'm running it with my 61 year old mother (who ran the Equinox back when she was my age-30). If I finish in less than 6:30 I will be ecstatic. The first time my mom did it, she finished in 6:20 and she was about 40 pounds lighter than me when she did it. They say to add 90 seconds on to your miles in calculating your Equinox time, which would make my miles around 13:30. Rounded up to 14:00 for good measure which comes out to 6:11. While I expect to run the majority of the mileage, I am prepared and definitely not afraid to walk when I need to, which I will! I am sooooooooo excited. I thought LONG and HARD about registered for the marathon before I did it as a DNF would destroy me and is not an option, I feel progressed enough in my running to know that I WILL finish, but it might not be pretty. Hey! I might do really well too! I can't discount that! I say DO IT! Run a freaking marathon!!

I'm running my first in early Oct. I've done 4 HMs in the past 2 years. I did a couple 30 mile weeks, but my calves got mad at me, so last week was 18 and this week will be low 20s. Nervous about getting enough mileage in. I'm trying to focus on slowing down and just covering the distance, not feeling bad if I don't go as fast as I feel like I should.

first Full in Mid October for me! I'm currently training hard to PR the crap out of a night half in Mid August (hoping to make BQ pace) at which point I will transition over to a beginners marathon training routine. The mileage syncs up nicely.

I'm running the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska on September 20th. The Equinox is not your run of the mill marathon course either. There is an 1,800 foot elevation climb and drop and most of the 26.2 miles is on trails.

My coach lives in Fairbanks and runs the Equinox. That's ain't no joke marathon there. He ran 3:17 there last year, which was good for 7th OA. He's a 2:5x marathoner on a more reasonable road course.

I'm running my first on November 23rd in Philadelphia.

I'm in base building now, with formal training starting in three more weeks.

I'm up to 40 - 45 mpw now and feeling very good.

Ted

I'm running my first in mid-October in Atlantic City

My third marathon is on October 12 and I'm only at a 10-mile long run right now, and I'm ahead of my normal schedule. You'll be fine!

Signed up for first full marathon...Disney World Marathon, January 2015 (as part of my 60th birthday bucket list). Formal training starts tomorrow--July 1st. Already completed 3 half-marathons, a 15K, and several 5Ks.

Done my first full marathon about 5 weeks ago, as someone else said, the marathon itself was the easy part, the 18 weeks training leading up to it was the difficult part, you cease to have a life, I was running in the forest 4 times a week (I hated that bloody forest by the end of the training), when people ask what you're doing at the weekend, you reply in miles, you never have enough running socks, you start to eye up places that you can plank water bottles for the next lap!!!

I've got 3 half marathons left this year (incluing Vegas Rock & Roll, wanted to do the full, but will be up for 28hrs before hand with guy's that are doing Worlds Toughest Mudder so decided to take it easy with the half).

I'm planning on doing the Goofy and a half in January 2016 (yes you also start to plan that far ahead), going through a sports tour operator for the New York marathon next November and the maintain between November and January and do Florida as well, although suspect that the heat may kill me, after training in Scotland over the winter and trying to run in Florida!!!

If you're already at 18 miles, you'll smash it:)

Here's the post/group I've been looking for! My first full marathon is Nov. 1, day after my birthday. I have been running since August 2012, and have completed 7 half marathons. I've got a supportive husband and a few runner friends that have offered to tag along for parts of long runs.

My main concerns are 1) not gaining weight during training and 2) I'd love to actually lose the last bit of spare tire that I am still carrying. I've been been scouring the forums (lurking, not posting) for anything related to nutrition while training.

I look forward to reading everyone's training posts and going through this journey together!

I'm reading: "The New Rules of Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition" by Matt Fitzgerald. It was highly recommended by people in this group.

Group member schmenge55 posted this for me on a friend's wall the other day. Cliffs notes version of the book:

 In a nutshell eat more vegetables than fruit. More fruit than nuts/seeds. More nuts/seeds that fish/lean protein. More fish/lean protein than whole grains. More whole grains than dairy. More dairy than refined grains, more refined grains than fatty meat. More fatty meat than sweets. More sweets than fried foods.

Group member schmenge55 posted this for me on a friend's wall the other day. Cliffs notes version of the book:

 In a nutshell eat more vegetables than fruit. More fruit than nuts/seeds. More nuts/seeds that fish/lean protein. More fish/lean protein than whole grains. More whole grains than dairy. More dairy than refined grains, more refined grains than fatty meat. More fatty meat than sweets. More sweets than fried foods.

I am unsure into which category beer and bbq fit?

Oh Gillian if you are in Scotland you might be able to give me some further advice!

My hubby is from Glasgow we are heading over in a few weeks, I am hoping to walk the west highland way I only have a few days to do it hopefully 4/5, going to bnb it for the first couple of nights then himself and the children are going to camp and I will meet them. All advice greatly appreciated!

For our american friends - its a fab 96 mile walk through the highlands, great pre-marathon training plus if I do that I think it will give me a bit more confidence running the marathon.

regards,

valentine

Hope you're looking forward to The West Highland Way, if you're doing some or all of it, I would look at this company http://travel-lite-uk.com/ they pick your baggage up and will meet you at the next point and drop it off for you (repeat the following morning), means you can walk pretty much unemcumbered and enjoy the scenery and only have to carry waterproofs), I know that there also appears to be an increase in the tick problem this year, so they are recommending checking throughly every night for the little ****s and also checking on the symptoms of Lyme disease, never known it to happen to anyone but, better safe than sorry (I would also go onto amazon oe ebay and get a tick remover, it'll be in the pet section but works on humans as well, I always have one in my car for just in case), I actually drag the dog over to Loch Lomond on a fairly regualr basis for a lovely (read ***** of a hill) walk.
If you're only doing sections of it, I would make sure the Glencoe. Buachaille Etive Mhor, Devils Staircase sections are in it, might just be me and because I'm over at Loch Lomond etc on a more regular basis than I'm in Glencoe but the scenery there is not to be missed.
There's also this company that organise all accommodation (it's Scotland, camping Glencoe way etc can certainly be an experience and they've only shut the ski routes in last 3/4 weeks, so there's still snow), this company organises the full walk for you, staying on B&B's/Hotels etc and does the bag drop at each overnight stay http://www.westhighlandwayinfo.com/index.htm

Edited to add, most people do this in 7 days, but I think a lot of time is spent looking at the scenery and taking it in (and getting your breath back from climbing the hills), you could probably do it in 5 days but would really depend on your speed 9or the childrens) and taking time to enjoy it (they do have a race, which the winner completed it in 14hr 20min 11sec, so 5 days should be doable)!!!

I'm running my first in mid-October in Atlantic City

Hey @sassycraftyfi - That's my first marathon too! I'm just trying to finish it. If I can get it in under 4 hrs, that'd be awesome, but I just want to get through it.